--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: First came bright Spirits, not the…" description: "\"“First came bright Spirits, not the Spirits of men, who danced and scattered flowers. Then, on the left and right, at each side of the forest avenue, c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/c-s-lewis-121_large-family_first-came-bright-spirits-not-the-spirit_74613.jpg" --- # First came bright Spirits, not the Spirits of men, who… ![“First came bright Spirits, not the Spirits of men, who danced and scattered flowers. Then, on the left and right, at each side of the forest avenue, came youthful shapes, boys upon one hand, and girls upon the other. If I could remember their singing and write down the notes, no man who read that…” quote by C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/c-s-lewis-121_large-family_first-came-bright-spirits-not-the-spirit_74613.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/c-s-lewis-121_large-family_first-came-bright-spirits-not-the-spirit_74613.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91d/c-s-lewis-121_large-family_first-came-bright-spirits-not-the-spirit_74613.jpg) > ““First came bright Spirits, not the Spirits of men, who danced and scattered flowers. Then, on the left and right, at each side of the forest avenue, came youthful shapes, boys upon one hand, and girls upon the other. If I could remember their singing and write down the notes, no man who read that score would ever grow sick or old. Between them went musicians: and after these a lady in whose honour all this was being done. I cannot now remember whether she was naked or clothed. If she were naked, then it must have been the almost visible penumbra of her courtesy and joy which produces in my memory the illusion of a great and shining train that followed her across the happy grass. If she were clothed, then the illusion of nakedness is doubtless due to the clarity with which her inmost spirit shone through the clothes. For clothes in that country are not a disguise: the spiritual body lives along each thread and turns them into living organs. A robe or a crown is there as much one of the wearer's features as a lip or an eye. But I have forgotten. And only partly do I remember the unbearable beauty of her face. “Is it?...is it?” I whispered to my guide. “Not at all,” said he. “It's someone ye'll never have heard of. Her name on earth was Sarah Smith and she lived at Golders Green.” “She seems to be...well, a person of particular importance?” “Aye. She is one of the great ones. Ye have heard that fame in this country and fame on Earth are two quite different things.” “And who are these gigantic people...look! They're like emeralds...who are dancing and throwing flowers before here?” “Haven't ye read your Milton? A thousand liveried angels lackey her.” “And who are all these young men and women on each side?” “They are her sons and daughters.” “She must have had a very large family, Sir.” “Every young man or boy that met her became her son – even if it was only the boy that brought the meat to her back door. Every girl that met her was her daughter.” “Isn't that a bit hard on their own parents?” “No. There are those that steal other people's children. But her motherhood was of a different kind. Those on whom it fell went back to their natural parents loving them more. Few men looked on her without becoming, in a certain fashion, her lovers. But it was the kind of love that made them not less true, but truer, to their own wives.” “And how...but hullo! What are all these animals? A cat-two cats-dozens of cats. And all those dogs...why, I can't count them. And the birds. And the horses.” “They are her beasts.” “Did she keep a sort of zoo? I mean, this is a bit too much.” “Every beast and bird that came near her had its place in her love. In her they became themselves. And now the abundance of life she has in Christ from the Father flows over into them.” I looked at my Teacher in amazement. “Yes,” he said. “It is like when you throw a stone into a pool, and the concentric waves spread out further and further. Who knows where it will end? Redeemed humanity is still young, it has hardly come to its full strength. But already there is joy enough int the little finger of a great saint such as yonder lady to waken all the dead things of the universe into life.”” [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vision of a transcendent realm where spiritual essence animates all beings, and a mysterious figure embodies ultimate compassion and unity. **In simple terms:** Spiritual unity and divine presence. Key Takeaway All beings share a common divine source. Themes spirituality mythic imagery unity transcendence nature Mood awe wonder mystery Type poetic mythic philosophical When to use this quote - contemplating mystical experiences - exploring mythic narratives - seeking meaning in symbolism - studying comparative religion Key Concepts spiritual body angelic hierarchy divine femininity family as metaphor Practical Applications - creative writing - philosophical reflection Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to be 'a son or daughter' of a spiritual figure? - How does the description of clothing reflect inner truth? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Large family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-family/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Young men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-men/) ## Related quotes > [When I met Mrs. Clinton, I met the mom that she is, I met the daughter that she is, I met the grandma that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glozell/when-i-met-mrs-clinton-i-met-the-mom-that-she-is-i-met-the-daughter/) GloZell > [“At the coming of Christ the sons of God will be manifested by the restoration of the lost covering. 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Pember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-pember/) > [The dying often have the sensation of rising up and floating above their own body while it is surrounded by a medical team, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-moody/the-dying-often-have-the-sensation-of-rising-up-and-floating-above/) [Raymond Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-moody/) > [It is enough to be responsible for ensuring that our people have the opportunity to graze in the rich grass of God's nutritious word.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-d-jakes/it-is-enough-to-be-responsible-for-ensuring-that-our-people-have-the/) [T. D. Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-d-jakes/) > [Everybody has a spiritual body. Everybody has a physical body, and so your spiritual body is the stuff that holds all of your emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/everybody-has-a-spiritual-body-everybody-has-a-physical-body-and-so/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [In the spiritual body moreover, man appears such as he is with respect to love and faith, for everyone in the spiritual world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-swedenborg/in-the-spiritual-body-moreover-man-appears-such-as-he-is-with-respect/) [Emanuel Swedenborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-swedenborg/) > [I experienced the reality of the spiritual body and learned that it has every faculty of the physical body, though with greater sensitivity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/i-experienced-the-reality-of-the-spiritual-body-and-learned-that-it/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) > [Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical. Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/spiritual-relationship-is-far-more-precious-than-physical-physical/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Moreover, no one is judged from the natural man, thus not so long as he lives in the natural world, for man is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-swedenborg/moreover-no-one-is-judged-from-the-natural-man-thus-not-so-long-as-he/) [Emanuel Swedenborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-swedenborg/) > [Just as in a physical body the operation of one member contributes to the good of the whole body, so it is in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/just-as-in-a-physical-body-the-operation-of-one-member-contributes-to/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [The resurrection state is the culmination of glorified humanity; is the change of the earthly for the heavenly; is the putting off of flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-sinks-foster/the-resurrection-state-is-the-culmination-of-glorified-humanity-is/) [Randolph Sinks Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-sinks-foster/) > [That man has a spiritual body is evidenced by the account . . . given in the writings of Moses that man was created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-reuben-clark/that-man-has-a-spiritual-body-is-evidenced-by-the-account-given-in/) [J. Reuben Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-reuben-clark/) > [Spirit Your spiritual body is the substance of your being. It is what brings you closer to the devine kingdom, in human form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/spirit-your-spiritual-body-is-the-substance-of-your-being-it-is-what/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) ## More by C.S. Lewis > [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Isn’t it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified of the other?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a-fierce-left-and-a-fierce/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“All Hell is smaller than one pebble of your earthly world: but it is smaller than one atom of this world, the Real World.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/all-hell-is-smaller-than-one-pebble-of-your-earthly-world-but-it-is/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“the greatest service we can do to education today is to teach fewer subjects. No one has time to do more than a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-greatest-service-we-can-do-to-education-today-is-to-teach-fewer/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all bad men religious bad men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-the-divine-call-does-not-make-us-better-it-will-make-us-very-much/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-husband-is-the-head-of-the-wife-just-in-so-far-as-he-is-to-her/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“We use a most unfortunate idiom when we say, of a lustful man prowling the streets, that he "wants a woman". Strictly speaking, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/we-use-a-most-unfortunate-idiom-when-we-say-of-a-lustful-man-prowling/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Después de cada fracaso, pedid perdón, levantaos del suelo y volved a intentarlo. Muy a menudo, lo que Dios nos otorga primero no es…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/despu-s-de-cada-fracaso-pedid-perd-n-levantaos-del-suelo-y-volved-a/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Then two wonders happened at the same moment. One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/then-two-wonders-happened-at-the-same-moment-one-was-that-the-voice/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/because-free-will-though-it-makes-evil-possible-is-also-the-only/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Laugh and fear not, creatures. Now that you are no longer dumb and witless, you need not always be grave. For jokes as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/laugh-and-fear-not-creatures-now-that-you-are-no-longer-dumb-and/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“When two humans have lived together for many years it usually happens that each has tones of voice and expressions of face which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/when-two-humans-have-lived-together-for-many-years-it-usually-happens/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“He sees as well as you do that courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/he-sees-as-well-as-you-do-that-courage-is-not-simply-one-of-the/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If you do not take the distinction between good and bad very seriously, then it is easy to say that anything you find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-you-do-not-take-the-distinction-between-good-and-bad-very/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/now-the-whole-offer-which-christianity-makes-is-this-that-we-can-if/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Explore all 1,165 C.S. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) ## More Large family quotes > [I come from a large family so you can count on the fact that I'm going to have more kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-bratt/i-come-from-a-large-family-so-you-can-count-on-the-fact-that-i-m/) [Benjamin Bratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-bratt/) > [When we lived in a society where we had large families that lived together, especially in agricultural societies like my grandfather and father grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-gawande/when-we-lived-in-a-society-where-we-had-large-families-that-lived/) [Atul Gawande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-gawande/) > [I was just a toddler when my dad died in a car crash. With my mum, Eunice, being a young widow with a large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mortimer/i-was-just-a-toddler-when-my-dad-died-in-a-car-crash-with-my-mum/) [Bob Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mortimer/) > [Very early in my childhood I associated poverty, toil, unemployment, drunkenness, cruelty, quarreling, fighting, debts, jail with large families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/very-early-in-my-childhood-i-associated-poverty-toil-unemployment/) [Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/) > [All my family, my blood, is mixed up now. They don't even all know each other. I just hope they don't never hate or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-california-cooper/all-my-family-my-blood-is-mixed-up-now-they-don-t-even-all-know-each/) [J. California Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-california-cooper/) > [In a world often marked by selfishness, a large family is a school of solidarity and sharing; and this attitude is to the benefit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/in-a-world-often-marked-by-selfishness-a-large-family-is-a-school-of/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As a working mother of a large family, preparing meals and shopping for groceries is time consuming and hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-schlapp/as-a-working-mother-of-a-large-family-preparing-meals-and-shopping/) [Mercedes Schlapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-schlapp/) > [I've always dreamed of having a large family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-bass/i-ve-always-dreamed-of-having-a-large-family/) [Lance Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-bass/) > [I was ever of the opinion, that the honest man who married and brought up a large family, did more service than he who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/i-was-ever-of-the-opinion-that-the-honest-man-who-married-and-brought/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [I believe in large families: every woman should have at least three husbands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zsa-zsa-gabor/i-believe-in-large-families-every-woman-should-have-at-least-three/) [Zsa Zsa Gabor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zsa-zsa-gabor/) > [“Mr Henry Gowan and the dog were established frequenters of the cottage, and the day was fixed for the wedding. There was to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mr-henry-gowan-and-the-dog-were-established-frequenters-of-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Literature can be divided into two large families: the religious and the secular one. The first reveals the origin of stupidity, the second follows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-brown/literature-can-be-divided-into-two-large-families-the-religious-and/) [William C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-brown/) > [Every large family has its angels and its demon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-roux/every-large-family-has-its-angels-and-its-demon/) [Joseph Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-roux/) > [I'm very nurturing. I come from a large family, and my parents were loving. But the most important thing for me as a mum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/i-m-very-nurturing-i-come-from-a-large-family-and-my-parents-were/) [Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/) > [The woman movement is one which is uniting by co-operating influences, all the antagonisms that are warring on the family state. Spiritualism, free love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-beecher/the-woman-movement-is-one-which-is-uniting-by-co-operating-influences/) [Catharine Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-beecher/) [Browse all 109 Large family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-family/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“First came bright Spirits, not the Spirits of men, who danced and scattered flowers. Then, on the left and right, at each side of the forest avenue, came youthful shapes, boys upon one hand, and girls upon the other. If I could remember their singing and write down the notes, no man who read that score would ever grow sick or old. Between them went musicians: and after these a lady in whose honour all this was being done. I cannot now remember whether she was naked or clothed. If she were naked, then it must have been the almost visible penumbra of her courtesy and joy which produces in my memory the illusion of a great and shining train that followed her across the happy grass. If she were clothed, then the illusion of nakedness is doubtless due to the clarity with which her inmost spirit shone through the clothes. For clothes in that country are not a disguise: the spiritual body lives along each thread and turns them into living organs. A robe or a crown is there as much one of the wearer's features as a lip or an eye. But I have forgotten. And only partly do I remember the unbearable beauty of her face. “Is it?...is it?” I whispered to my guide. “Not at all,” said he. “It's someone ye'll never have heard of. Her name on earth was Sarah Smith and she lived at Golders Green.” “She seems to be...well, a person of particular importance?” “Aye. She is one of the great ones. Ye have heard that fame in this country and fame on Earth are two quite different things.” “And who are these gigantic people...look! They're like emeralds...who are dancing and throwing flowers before here?” “Haven't ye read your Milton? A thousand liveried angels lackey her.” “And who are all these young men and women on each side?” “They are her sons and daughters.” “She must have had a very large family, Sir.” “Every young man or boy that met her became her son – even if it was only the boy that brought the meat to her back door. Every girl that met her was her daughter.” “Isn't that a bit hard on their own parents?” “No. There are those that steal other people's children. But her motherhood was of a different kind. Those on whom it fell went back to their natural parents loving them more. Few men looked on her without becoming, in a certain fashion, her lovers. But it was the kind of love that made them not less true, but truer, to their own wives.” “And how...but hullo! What are all these animals? A cat-two cats-dozens of cats. And all those dogs...why, I can't count them. And the birds. And the horses.” “They are her beasts.” “Did she keep a sort of zoo? I mean, this is a bit too much.” “Every beast and bird that came near her had its place in her love. In her they became themselves. And now the abundance of life she has in Christ from the Father flows over into them.” I looked at my Teacher in amazement. “Yes,” he said. “It is like when you throw a stone into a pool, and the concentric waves spread out further and further. Who knows where it will end? Redeemed humanity is still young, it has hardly come to its full strength. But already there is joy enough int the little finger of a great saint such as yonder lady to waken all the dead things of the universe into life.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. 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